Kevin and Kate
by givesmehope
Summary: Because even though Kate had Dad, and Randall had Mom, and Kevin had no one, he knew for a fact that Kate needed HIM more than anyone. A series exploring the brother/sister relationship of Kevin and Kate Pearson.


Kevin and Kate.

For his whole life, Kevin has made it a duty to look out for Kate. Because even though Kate had Dad, and Randall had Mom, and Kevin had no one, he knew for a fact that Kate needed HIM more than anyone.

He also always knew Kate was bigger than the other girls, and he knew his mom knew it too. He kind of resented his mother for that—she could hear him talking to her father, all the time, saying,

"Kate NEEDS to lose the weight, Jack" or "What do you think she's going to look like when she's older?"

He watched her mom give Kate less at dinner, and try to coach her to make "healthy choices", all while Kate looked down at her plate, shoving her fork around with a defeated look in her eyes.

Kevin hated when Kate looked defeated. He hated when she didn't feel confident. Because she was Kate, and she was beautiful just the way she was. He remembers the one day when they were 9 where he found her crying, staring at a picture of their mom. She looked at him and asked, "Kev, why can't I be beautiful like mommy?"

After that day, Kevin made it a point to knock on her door every morning and tell her she looked pretty, even if he thought her outfit was hideous and she could have picked something better. Everyone thought his first love was Sophie, and romantically that was true. But his first unconditional love? That was Kate.

Kevin would never tell Kate that people talked behind her back. The girls in their class would poke fun at her size, and the boys would be even worse. When they were 10, there was a drawing that went around, with Kate's face on a pig. Kevin ripped it up and said that if anyone drew anything like that again, they wouldn't see tomorrow, and if they mentioned it to Kate, they wouldn't live to the next hour.

Kevin was bluffing. He didn't know how to throw a punch. Randall, who stood next to him, gave him an incredulous look. But Kevin didn't' care. He would always make sure that Kate had no idea.

On Halloween, all Kate wanted was for Billy to hold her hand in the haunted house. Kevin knew in his heart that it wouldn't happen—after all, Billy was the most popular kid in school—even the "prettiest" girls didn't have much of a chance. It kept Kevin awake the night before the big day. Kate seemed so excited when she told him she had a crush on Billy, and he looked down, offering a small smile and telling her that was great. His thoughts were racing… He knew Billy wouldn't like Kate, but he knew Billy loved candy.

Giving Billy all his Halloween candy so he would hold hands with Kate wasn't a big deal, really. Kate's smile and excited squeal meant more to him than the candy ever would. Like he told his Dad, getting more candy would be easy.

What he didn't tell his dad is he knew mending Kate's heart would have been a lot harder.

Yeah, he would take a pillowcase that wasn't as full. There isn't anything he wouldn't do for Kate.

When their dad died, Kate was the one who told him.

It broke his heart into a million pieces, but he felt oddly numb. His mom loved Randall the best, and his dad loved Kate the best.

Losing either parent would hurt, but it wouldn't hurt him as badly as it would hurt Randall and Kate.

When she told him, he knew she was barely keeping it together. He opened up his arms, and Kate broke, clutching onto him, screaming and asking why. A lone tear dropped for Kevin. Not for himself, but for Kate.

When their dad died, Kate went off the deep end.

She went out drinking, didn't care what she ate, and her "thinning out" again turned into "filling out".

He would never forget the time he had to skip a party because of football practice, and got a call from Sophie.

"Hey Kev… I know you were at practice, but someone got really handsy with Kate at Aiden's party. She's pretty drunk. Call me when you get this."

His heart lurched, he called Randall, screaming at him to stop doing whatever academic crap he was preoccupied with and to pick him up, Kate was in trouble.

Randall was there in 5 minutes flat, in their dad's beat-up car that they now shared. They both arrived at the party, and Randall made a move to get out of the car. Kevin told him to stay put, that he would handle it.

When he walked in the door and a saw Luke Phillips getting far too close to his sister, grabbing her where she shouldn't be grabbed, leading her to a bedroom, he saw red. He grabbed Kate, squeezing her tightly, telling her to go outside and find Randall and the car. Her body was shaking with sobs, "Kev, I didn't want to, I'm so scared…"

He shushed her, telling her it would be okay and told her again to go find Randall.

That was the night Kevin threw his first punch (or three). It was also the hardest punch he ever would throw.

But he had no regrets.

Kate would always be protected.

For as long as he lived, no one would hurt his Kate.

Because he knew, especially when dad died, that he was the one that Kate needed more than anyone.


End file.
